In Memory: Honoring the Hostages Who Died in Captivity

Hamas terrorists kidnapped Inbar Hayman on October 7th. She attended the Nova Music Festival nature party to volunteer as an emotional therapist. When Hamas attacked she ran away with two other men for three hours. At 13:00 two Hamas terrorists caught up to their group of three. They grabbed Inbar and threatened her by holding a knife to her throat. One of the men she was with struck the Hamas terrorist with a plank and told Inbar to run, but she was frozen with fear. Two more Hamas terrorists arrived and kidnapped Inbar; the two men Inbar was with managed to escape. 

Inbar was murdered after 71 days in Gaza. Inbar was a fourth-year student studying graphic design and art. She was dating Noam Alon for two years and they had planned to go to Egypt together before she was kidnapped. Her brother and her parents are keeping Inbar's memory alive.    

Hersh Goldberg-Polin attended the Nova Music festival on October 7th when Hamas attacked. He ran to a bomb shelter with a few of his friends, only for Hamas to begin throwing grenades into the shelter. Hersh did everything he could to throw them back out but missed one, which ended up severing his arm. After this, the terrorists forcefully kidnapped Hersh and took him to Gaza. In April there was a video released by Hamas that showed he was alive and he asked his family to stay strong for him. Nearly five months later, a statement from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that he was brutally murdered in Gaza just days before the IDF found him.

Hersh loved geography and planned to travel worldwide after the Nova Music festival. “We live on another planet, Anyone who is a parent or has had a parent can try to imagine the anguish and misery that [my husband] Jon and I and all the hostage families are enduring,” said his mother Rachel Goldberg-Polin. 

Almog Sarusi attended the Nova Music festival with his girlfriend Shahar. When Hamas attacked, Shahar was badly shot and Almog refused to leave her side with hopes to save her. His efforts failed and Shahar passed away. 

Subsequently, Almog was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists. His friends describe Almog as “full of life.” He was always smiling and fun to be around. He loved driving around Israel in his white jeep with his guitar. He was confirmed dead in August of 2024.